All the news on the ninth and final series of Escape to the Chateau

If you're anything like us, you'll love curling up during an evening and catching up with what Dick and Angel Strawbridge get up to on Escape to the Chateau. You might even have stocked up on some Escape to the Chateau gifts!

This autumn, the much-loved couple are set to bring us the ninth and final series of their very popular TV show, where they let us take a peek inside their lives, showing us what it takes to run their huge 19th-century Château de la Motte-Husson in Martigné-sur-Mayenne, France.

Not only do they have to maintain the building and the grounds it sits in, but they're also raising a young family and hosting a number of weddings and parties at the chateau on a regular basis.

Over the course of the series, Dick, an engineer who has appeared on a number of TV shows over the years, and his wife Angel, the creative brains behind all their projects, have taken their (what was once inhabitable) chateau and turned it into a lovely 45-room home and event location for guests.

Speaking about the last series, Dick and Angel Strawbridge said "Escape to the Chateau has been our family journey; our decision to buy a Chateau with no water, electricity, heating or sewage has taken us on the adventure of a lifetime and we could never have imagined what would unfold. The good, the bad and the ugly…we have cherished every second and love that we have a visual record to show Arthur and Dorothy when they’re older.

"We’re so grateful to everyone who continues to support us and we’re looking forward to what the future holds. As one Chateau chapter ends, so another Chateau story begins…"

What happens in the new series?

In the new series, The Chateau is open for business after two years of closure and is making up for lost time - hosting weddings, events, and its biggest ever Christmas extravaganza to mark the end of an unforgettable era. It’s truly ‘The Year of Celebrations’.

But before the celebrations can begin there are some pretty sizable jobs to finish. To streamline operations, Angel plans to turn part of the sous-sol, once The Chateau’s cider store, into the Atelier de Marriage aka The Wedding Workshop, where everything ‘wedding’ will be stored, organised and created. To help bring this back to life, Dick and Angel go on the hunt - repurposing an original cider barrel which once lived in the store and turning an old garden trellis into a Flower Storage Chandelier to assist when making the stunning bouquets, buttonholes and wedding flowers.

Amongst the organising and entertaining, The Chateau continues to share its secrets. A neglected corner of Dick’s beloved Walled Garden reveals a folly-like room hidden by ivy, ripe for transforming into something elegant. The folly soon finds its place, becoming not only an enchanting wildlife observatory for the family but also the focal point for family entertaining.

Meanwhile, to ensure all essential jobs are finished before their friends and family visit in December, the ‘extension’ Angel has joked about for years takes shape in the form of a winter garden on stilts and Dick falls in love with another of The Chateau’s ‘big jobs’. In addition, the replacement of the 62 windows is finally underway and the last remaining part of the attic is turned into a family games room designed to take Arthur and Dorothy from their tweens to their teens.

As the year comes to a close, the family reminisce about the last seven years since they moved to France. They look back at their home which had no electricity, water or sewage, and no way of paying for itself and reflect on their journey that many have been a part of. They want to thank all those who have helped them along the way and what better way than with a party - a Christmas extravaganza! Dick, Angel, Arthur and Dorothy end the ‘year of celebrations’ on a high, surrounded by their family and friends and, most probably, fireworks.

For some sneak peeks behind the upcoming series, visit Dick's eldest son James Strawbridge's Instagram account below.

Escape to the Chateau DIY

In addition to their Escape to the Chateau series, they also have their Escape to the Chateau DIY series, where they follow the stories of British Families who are also renovating chateau's in France.

Dick and Angel are on hand to offer their advice and support during the renovation projects, and it's lovely to see all the chateaus coming together!

More Chateau news

Dick and Angel Strawbridge release their book 'A Year at the Chateau'

The couple previously released a book A Year at the Chateau where they share their full journey for the first time. The book follows Dick and Angel from when they first moved to France in the depths of winter and found bedrooms infested with flies, turrets inhabited by bats, the wind rattling through cracked windows, right through to the monumental efforts that went into readying the château for their incredible wedding and first Christmas.

Buy A Year at the Chateau

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Escape to the Chateau merchandise

Review: The material is lovely and smooth and is exactly as it appears in the picture. It is a welcome change to the usual flower design which is frequently on duvet covers.